Greeting facts for kids

Sampeah (Cambodian greeting)

Greetings are nice things to say when people meet each other. Greetings may be different from culture to culture. These are some greetings used a lot in the English language:

• "Hello", "hi", and "hey"
• "Good [morning, afternoon, evening], which changes with the time of day
• "What's up?", "Yo", "What's up?", and "What's happening?", which are not formal
• "G'day", a greeting used a lot in Australia
• "Howdy", an informal greeting used a lot in rural areas of the United States
• "How do you do", which is used as a question in some places and a normal greeting in others

There are also ways to greet without talking, such as these:

• Handshakes
• Bowing
• Waving
• Hat-raising or tipping
• Kissing on the hand or cheek
• Hongi
• Kowtow
• Namaste
• Roman salute

Images for kids

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  Namaste greeting – a common cultural practice in India

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  Chinese greeting (拱手) practised by Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

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  Denis Thatcher, husband of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher, greets former American First Lady Nancy Reagan by kissing her hand, 1988

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  The commander of Operation United Assistance using an elbow bump greeting while combating Ebola in Liberia in 2014

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  Steven Gerrard performing a Wai

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  Waving

See also

In Spanish: Saludo para niños